Preclinical Study of a Multi-Layered Antimicrobial Patch Based on Thin Nanocomposite Amorphous Diamond Like Carbon Films with Embedded Silver Nanoparticles

A growing number of severe infections are related to antibiotic-resistant bacteria, therefore, in recent years, alternative antimicrobial materials based on silver nanoparticles (NPs) attracted a lot of attention. In the current research, we present a medical patch prototype containing diamond-like carbon nanocomposite thin films doped with silver nanoparticles (DLC:Ag), as a source of silver ions, and an aqueous mass of the gelatin/agar mixture as a silver ion accumulation layer. The DLC:Ag thin films with 3.4 at.% of silver were deposited on synthetic silk employing reactive unbalanced DC magnetron sputtering of the silver target with argon ions performed in the acetylene gas atmosphere. The average size of the silver nanoparticles as defined by scanning electron microscope was 24 nm. After the film deposition, the samples were etched with RF oxygen plasma, aiming at efficient silver ion release in aqueous media from the nanocomposite film. In the patch prototype, a mixture of agar and gelatin was applied in silicone carrier with cavities, acting as a silver ion accumulation layer that further enhanced the antimicrobial efficiency. It was found that the DLC:Ag thin film on the silk after soaking in water for 24 h was able to release up to 4 ppm of Ag. The microbiological experiments using S. aureus bacteria were performed with the patch prototype and the silver ion saturated water, demonstrated the inactivation of 99% and 79% of bacteria, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy analysis showed that silver NPs destroyed the bacteria cell and the bacteria affected by Ag ions had spots and perforated cell wall areas with cytoplasm leakage out was obtained. A preliminary preclinical study using the laboratory animals demonstrated that using the patch prototype, the methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA)-infected wound on skin surface healed faster compared with control and was able to kill all MRSA bacteria strains in the wound’s bed after 72 h of treatment.